November 6, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 25 Wyckoff Wanderings Church sets Holiday Fair The Wyckoff Reformed Church will hold its annual Holiday Fair on Saturday, Nov. 23 from 10 to 4. The fair will feature handmade items, home-based business shop- ping, gifts, attic treasures, books, CDs, and baked goods. Those who attend may purchase homemade desserts soups and breads for Thanksgiving dinner. There will be a special basket fundraiser at 1 p.m. and lunch will be available. Events for children will include games and photos with Santa. Workshop on sustainable income set Atlantic Stewardship Bank in Wyckoff will host a fall workshop on a new approach to planning a sustainable income on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The program will begin at 5:30 p.m. To attend, contact Patti Accavallo at (201) 444-7100, extension 7305 or at paccavallo@asbnow.com. This pro- gram will also be presented in the Montville branch located at 2 Changebridge Road on Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. ‘Our Aging Parents’ slated The Wyckoff Board of Health, together with the Wyckoff Family YMCA, Christian Health Care Center, and Van Dyk Health Care, will present “Care Conversations: Our Aging Parents’ Family Dynamics” on Tuesday, Nov. 12. The pro- gram, the second in the series for caregivers, will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on the lower level of the YMCA located at 691 Wyckoff Avenue. A panel of experts will answer questions about parent- ing parents; difficult conversations about giving up the car keys, living wills, finances, etc.; caring for children, spouse, and parents; sibling disagreements; guilt; and man- aging holidays. The program will be moderated by Denise Ratcliffe, LNHA, executive vice president and COO at the Christian Health Care Center. The panelists will include Barbara Lankelis, LCSW, therapist at the Christian Health Care Center; Sister Arlene Kollar of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Wayne; and Reverend Jim Knol, LCSW, clini- cian and chaplain at the Christian Health Care Center. Pre-registration is required; visit www.ouragingparents. eventbrite.com or call Cindy at (201) 891-7000, extension 304. Attendees are asked to provide specific questions or topics at the time of registration to assure that the panel addresses the topics most pertinent to the audience. Operation Chill Chaser under way Girl Scout Troop 215 of Wyckoff is collecting new and gently used coats for its annual Operation Chill Chaser program. Coats may be dropped off at the Wyckoff Family YMCA at 691 Wyckoff Avenue now through Dec. 1. Boxes for the coats will be located at the front entrance. Scouts will deliver the coats to the Father English Community Center in Paterson. Knights set Wine Tasting & Dinner The Saint Elizabeth Council of the Knights of Colum- bus will sponsor its seventh annual Wine Tasting Benefit on Nov. 22. The event will be held at 7 p.m. at the Brick House located at 179 Godwin Avenue in Wyckoff. The event will include appetizers, a buffet style dinner, dessert, Bonus goals for superintendent (continued from page 3) opposed the merit bonuses because they are based on the recognition of his achievements while “the people charged with successfully implementing the 1:1 Laptop Initiative will be the hard-working teaching staff, the equally hard-working technical assistants, who will prob- ably have the most challenging and difficult job, and the dedicated administrative assistants, aides, security, and custodians, all of whom will have critical roles in making this initiative work smoothly and effectively. “The successful implementation of this initiative rests on our backs, and without our buy-in, our support, our efforts, the 1:1 Initiative will not be successful. “If the goal of successfully implementing the 1:1 Initiative is achieved, will every RIHEA member get a merit bonus of 2.5 percent of our base salary? If the goal of raising the total average score on certain AP tests is met, will each of the teachers of those subjects get a merit bonus of 3.3 percent of our base salary? And what about the teachers of subjects where the total average score already meets or exceeds the total average score of 3? Will each of those teachers get a merit bonus of 3.3 per- cent of their base salary?” Roeser also asked if all classified students’ math teach- ers would receive a bonus if the goal of raising the scores of classified students on the Math HSPA test is met. “I am guessing that the answer is ‘no,’” she said, adding that she is not proposing merit pay because the RIHEA remains opposed to any form of merit pay. “Teaching will always be an art, not a science. No form of merit pay will ever make schools or teachers more productive or inspire students to learn more.” The RIHEA and the school board are currently engaged in negotiations for a new contract to replace the one that expired on June 30, 2013 and Roeser described the merit pay proposal for the interim superintendent as “particularly insulting, offensive, and disrespectful to our 300 members.” She added, “This board of educa- tion has no money for teachers, no money for custodians or security, no money for administrative assistants, no money for aides, no money for tech assistants, and no money to settle our contract. But it has money to give the superintendent a 15 percent merit bonus for goals, the majority of which can only be achieved on the backs of the teaching staff.” Roeser said the board of education cares much too little about its employees and sits back and watches the three other FLOW districts provide better compensation to professional and support employees, while expecting more and more and more out of its employees, but offers less and less and less respect for, and recognition of, the job that they each do every day. Claiming the goals disrespect every employee in the school district and devalue the work they do each day, Roeser said, “These goals are inappropriate for any administrator in any district.” Although some of the board members ultimately abstained from voting for one or more of the criteria and bonus amounts, the resolution establishing the criteria and associated bonuses for Palestis in recognition of his achievement during the school year was approved by the majority of the board. and a sampling of fine wines. There will be an opportunity for guests to purchase the wines. Tickets are $65 per person and may be purchased at www.kofc13678.org or by calling Phil Genovese at (201) 407-6672, Tom Van Lenten at (201) 248-7207, or Len Giuliano at (201) 819-2718. The deadline for tickets is Nov. 16. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Knight’s chari- table activities. Voters reminded of new polling locations Wyckoff officials remind residents of their new polling locations. The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. Residents in Districts 1, 5, and 10 will cast their ballots at the Cedar Hill Reformed Church at 422 Cedar Hill Avenue. The polling location for voters in Districts 2, 3, and 6 is the Wyckoff Public Library at 200 Woodland Avenue. Those in Districts 4 and 8 will vote at the Dairy Barn at Faith Community Christian Reformed Church at 530 Sicomac Avenue. Those in Districts 7 and 9 will vote at the Larkin House at 380 Godwin Avenue. For details, call (201) 891-7000, extension 101. Artist’s exhibit (continued from page 4) demolition. These structures are fundamental to the visual history of the county and city, but are in danger of being lost forever under the guise of progress. “My mission is to paint the elusive atmospheric effects of the three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional surface. Using color, value, line, and paint texture, I can create my own vision and interpretation of nature, for an honest and valid representational work of art.” Oberndorf said he began his craft 25 years ago as a youth with a gift for drawing and a passion for light and color. “I remember vividly at a very young age that I could look at objects in my grandmother’s home, which were quite ornate and beautiful and draw them very realistically with colored pencils and crayons on paper,” he recalled. “I would stare into Christmas ornaments hanging from the tree with my nose pressed up against them, marveling and completely transfixed by the way the surrounding room appeared as a curved, differently colored, and distorted reflection in each one.” Oberndorf’s travels throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe have influenced his work. After graduating from Rider University, he moved to Cali- fornia, where he said he “was mesmerized and inspired by the brilliant light and beauty of the Pacific Coast.” The artist noted, “I loved the pop-culture iconography of the funky architecture found on the streets of LA, and started painting after work and on weekends in earnest. The West Coast had a tremendously profound effect upon me and it was at this time that I realized that painting was my true calling.” A few years later, he returned to New York and enrolled in the Art Students’ League. He later moved to New Jersey and decided to dedicate his life to capturing local land- marks. “To some people, these buildings and structures are relics destined for demolition to forge a path for urban gen- trification, but to me they are important cultural icons that should be preserved at all costs,” the artist said. “As I drive around in the car, whether it is doing mun- dane chores, dropping the kids off or picking them up from school, or going to a travel hockey game, I am always on the lookout for the next perfect subject to transform into a painting,” he added.